Microgaming plays key role in CSR drive at the CasinoBeats Summit

The current CasinoBeats Summit is taking place at Olympia London right now (from Sept 17-20) in West London and one of the key focus points for this meetings of the great and the good within the gaming industry is the issue of corporate social responsibility (CSR).

So much so that Microgaming have not just agreed to be one of the main sponsors of the event, but they have also sent over their CEO John Coleman from their Isle of Man base to play a key role on a panel which will convene to discuss 'CSR: The key to sustainable gaming'.

What is CSR?

We already know that the acronym CSR refers to corporate social responsibility, but what does that mean for the typical person who enjoys a wager online? Why are Microgaming so keen to get involved in this initiative and why is it important to you as someone with an interest in wagering online, be that on slot games, poker, casino games or sports betting?

Corporate social responsibility is simply a phrase used to describe businesses that are engaged in ensuring that they operate ethically and in a socially agreeable manner. What does that actually mean?

That is a good question as it actually means a great deal more than simply abiding by the laws of the land. CSR means a company actively works to make its local (or wider) community better in a number of different ways. This includes the mental, physical and emotional health of its own workers, as well as its customers and the public in general.

It also means that companies are committed to operating and conducting their business in socially responsible ways too. What this means differs from business to business of course, how an oil company is socially responsible, would be very different to how a slots company would be socially responsible, but the aim of both is exactly the same, to enrich the lives of those it comes into contact with either professionally, through employment, or even just casually in the wider community.

How do Microgaming ensure CSR?

Microgaming have a number of initiatives in place that ensure they adhere to corporate social responsibility. The company has a staff-led and very active PlayItForward campaign, which encourages all its employees to take paid leave to work voluntarily for charities close to their heart. Over the years, the company has donated thousands of pounds, and thousands of hours, to this particular project.

Part of this initiative also sees a team of Microgaming volunteers taking part in the 2019 Deloitte Ride Across Britain challenge, an incredible feat spread across nine-days of cycling where the riders will attempt to cycle from Lands' End in Cornwall, to John O'Groats in the far north of Scotland.

Each of the riders in this endurance event have pledged to raise at least £2,200, as Microgaming has set itself a target of £15,400 to be raised for their support of the UK charity, The Prince's Trust.

However, CSR is much more than simply raising money for charitable causes and trying to do good in your local community. It also extends into your business practices and the good news is that Microgaming have a rigid structure in place to ensure that CSR is at the heart of their business too.

We already know that all Microgaming games are checked by authorities to ensure that they offer fair and safe gaming to customers and by working with partners such as GAMSTOP, GamBan, GamCare and similar, the company fully advocates safe, responsible gaming as central to its ethos.

Furthermore, with current regulation deemed by some to be unfit for the online gaming industry, Microgaming is one of the first companies to react to any new legislative changes that occur around the world, which can impact their games and software. This ability to adapt and change to fit new legislation ensures that Microgaming not only operates legitimately within countries, but also adheres to any rules regarding gaming or gambling that each country passes into law.

Is CSR a fad or is it important?

It is tempting to think that corporate social responsibility is simply a passing phase and that companies will go back to their 'bad old ways' once the trend has died down a little, but as the Safer Gambling Forum at the CasinoBeats summit this week shows, CSR is now becoming central to how businesses, particularly those in the slots or casino gaming sector, operate.

Speaking about Microgaming's sponsorship of the event and his participation in the panel, Microgaming CEO John Coleman stated:

"We are delighted to sponsor the second CasinoBeats Summit, where I'm looking forward to speaking on a panel about corporate social responsibility,

"Microgaming PlayItForward, our staff led CSR programme, continues to make a positive difference in communities worldwide, and I'm keen to highlight where we are today with our commitments, which focus on supporting local and international charities, environmental sustainability, responsible gambling and so much more.

"I'm especially looking forward to hearing how others are embracing transformative and positive change within our industry."

The panel will meet at 14.50 on Thursday 19^th September by a number of other names from a broad spectrum of different industries including Yakir Firestane, the Health Lottery director of digital, David Flynn, the CEO of Swintt and YGAM founder and chief executive, Lee Willows.

It is clear that corporate social responsibility is a massive issue within the casino and slots gaming community. Any form of business which operates in an area such as gambling, needs to ensure that it is doing so responsibly and that responsibility extends beyond how it operates as a company, to how it treats its customers and how it engages and enriches its wider community.

As the title of the panel suggests, the key to sustainable online gaming, including slots play, online sports betting, poker or indeed any form of online wagering you can think of, is to ensure that players and operators conduct their business in a socially responsible fashion. Without that, the industry would quickly deteriorate.

CSR is no passing fad, it is very much how companies like Microgaming will seek to develop in the future and that can only be a positive for the company, its employees, its customers and the wider community.